The Second World War saw some great advances in aviation technology, culminating in jet and rocket powered aircraft. With such marvels to behold one small fact is often overlooked and that is the last biplane fighters. In 1945 it would seem absurd to have a biplane fighter on the front lines but only five years earlier biplanes were still very much a part of many air forces. One of the finest biplane fighters of all time has to be the Fiat CR.42. This plane was such a pleasure to fly that when the more modern MC.200 became available there was at least one squadron that refused to switch from their trusty CR.42s.

The CR.42B, an attempt to improve the type's performance by installing a Daimler-Benz DB601A in-line engine of 1,010 hp. Although this variant reached a top speed of 323 mph (518 km/h), the project was canceled as the biplane configuration did not offer any advantages over contemporary fighter designs.